Tap for the beats: A celebration of music
Title: Drum Dream Girl
Author: Margarita Engle
Illustrator: Rafael Lopez
Books from the same author: The poet slave of Cuba, The Surrender Tree, The Lightning Dreamer.
Winner of the Pura Belpré Award (2016) for Best Illustration, this book is a beautiful celebration of dreams and rhythm, carrying the message “Follow your dreams and they know the way.” It is a work of historical fiction based on the true story of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Cuban drummer.
Story :
In An Island of Music, a little girl has a dream, and she wants to become a drummer. She constantly imagines pounding conga drums, tapping bongo drums, and striking timbales with long sticks.
But on her island, everyone believes that only boys should play the drums, not girls. And so, her dream remains just as a dream.
She spends her days watching men play in outdoor cafés and at carnivals, while at home, tables and chairs become her drums.
When her sisters invite her to join their all-girls band, her father refuses. Instead, he sends her to a teacher to find out if she truly has talent. What follows is the story of how, with the teacher’s guidance, she begins to make people tap along to her beats.
What Stayed with me :
This book, filled with beautiful and poetic illustrations, celebrates music, quietly challenges gender stereotypes, and encourages children to follow their dreams. What makes it especially powerful is how simply it presents a difficult truth and shows the way how society often limits who gets to belong where. Without being heavy or preachy, the story shows a young girl holding on to her passion, even when the world around her says “no.”
The rhythm of the words and the vibrancy of the artwork almost make you hear the music, drawing readers into her longing and determination. It’s not just about becoming a drummer, but it’s also about finding courage, being seen, and slowly changing minds. For young readers, it plants the idea that dreams are worth holding on to; for adults, it’s a quiet reminder of how important it is to support those dreams rather than silence them.
If the rhythm of this story and its message linger with you, you can discover the book here. https://amzn.to/4w8f2ap
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